Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel responded on April 1 to President Trump’s latest executive order regarding federal oversight of elections.
Nessel said the new executive order attempts to shift control over election administration from states to federal agencies, raising questions about the limits of presidential authority and the ongoing debate over state versus federal control in U.S. elections.
“President Trump, in his unrelenting quest to federalize elections, has issued yet another unlawful executive order attempting to usurp the states’ authority and responsibility to run free and fair elections based on flagrant fallacies and debunked conspiracy theories,” Nessel said. She added that after unsuccessful legislative efforts, “this Executive Order purports to shift control over various aspects of elections from the states to the Department of Homeland Security, United States Postal Service, and Social Security Administration.”
Nessel further stated: “This power is not the President’s to give. The Constitution is clear: The President cannot direct or control our state voting laws, and no scribble of his sharpie can give him the authority that he so desperately seeks.” She questioned whether the action was made “in delusion or in an attempt to distract the country from his failures in the Middle East,” adding there is “simply no possible legal authority” for such an order.
She concluded by reaffirming her commitment: “I remain undeterred in my resolve to protect the people of Michigan from this administration’s unlawful and pernicious actions. We have defeated these unlawful election orders in the courts before, and I will not hesitate to do so again.”
The statement reflects continued legal disputes between state officials and federal authorities regarding election procedures.
